2_Green Bay Packers1

Oakland Raiders Gameday HQ

NFC NORTH
PACKERS
2014 STRENGTHS:
• Rushing offense, wide receivers, pass rush
Packers Offense
The 2013 Green Bay Packers should stand as the best example
possible of how valuable the quarterback position is in the
NFL. Through seven weeks, the Packers were 5-2, had scored
30.3 points per game, and Rodgers had a 15-4 touchdown-tointerception
ratio. When Rodgers broke his collarbone in a game
against Chicago, Green Bay’s season fell apart in a hurry.
Reserve quarterbacks Seneca Wallace and Scott Tolzien were
so ineffective that it led the team to bring back Matt Flynn, a
player who had been released by Seattle, Buffalo, and Oakland
before his return to Green Bay. Fortunately for the Packers,
Flynn played at an adequate level filling in until Rodgers was
prepared to return for the week 17 game against Chicago. Even
so, the Packers had fallen to a record of 7-7-1 and were lucky to
still be in the hunt for the division title.
It’s very clear that as long as Rodgers is healthy, the Packers
will be very successful on offense. Rodgers is clearly one of the
very best quarterbacks in the league, a precision passer who
is excellent throwing short, intermediate, and deep. Rodgers is
a quarterback who makes the receivers he works with better.
Players like Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and James Jones have
flourished with Rodgers while players like Greg Jennings have
struggled since leaving Green Bay.
It also helps that rookie running back Eddie Lacy emerged
as a workhorse running back for a team that had struggled to
fill that position previously. Lacy rushed for 1,178 yards on 284
2014 WEAKNESSES:
• Run defense, pass coverage, pass-blocking
GREEN BAY
carries and was very good near the end zone, scoring 11 rushing
touchdowns on the season.
With Rodgers and Cobb back, the Packers should be in
position to have one of the best offenses in the league again
this season. There is no replacement for an elite passer and
the Packers have one. They also have a deep receiving corps, a
workhorse running back, and an offensive line that does a good
job of run blocking despite often struggling in pass protection.
Offensive Player to Watch
In a league that is increasingly moving away from a rushing
offense centered around one running back, the Packers have
quickly embraced Lacy as their rushing workhorse. Lacy was the
focus of Green Bay’s running game from the beginning. Despite
missing effectively two games due to a concussion, Lacy finished
fifth in the NFL in rushing attempts with 284. He had four 100-
yard rushing games and a fifth game with 99 yards.
At the same time, Lacy was not always efficient. He rushed
for just 4.1 yards per carry and mustered just 27 yards against
the Giants and 16 yards against the Lions. However, those efforts
were during the time when Aaron Rodgers was injured and
defenses were able to key in on Lacy more. In a full season with
Rodgers at the helm, expect Lacy to become a more efficient
running back and build on his successful rookie season.
Packers Defense
If there could possibly be a downside to having one of the
league’s top quarterbacks, it’s that it’s easy to ignore the massive
problems developing on defense. The 2013 Packers ended up
tied for 24th in points allowed, 25th in yards allowed, 28th in
yards per play allowed, and tied for 27th in passing touchdowns
allowed. The Packers struggled against both the pass and
the run. They struggled in the red zone and in the middle of
the field. They struggled so much that, according to Football
Outsiders’ DVOA metric, the Packers had the NFL’s second-worst
defense last season.
One of the problems is that star pass rusher Clay Matthews
spent most of the season injured. The Packers didn’t really have
a good alternative to Matthews as an edge rusher, so their one
big free-agent acquisition of the offseason was to sign former
HANNAH FOSLIEN/GETTY IMAGES SPORT
Aaron Rodgers